Classic SF with Andy Johnson

Jan 30 2025 142 ep. 9 mins
Classic SF with Andy Johnson Podcast artwork

Exploring classic science fiction, with a focus on the 1950s to the 1990s.

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#142 Tipping the scales: Dreamsnake (1978) by Vonda N. McIntyre

Jan 30 2025 7 mins  
A unique and moving feminist post-apocalyptic taleTo win the Hugo Award for Best Novel is one thing, but to secure the Hugo, the Nebula, and the Locus Awards is another thing entirely. Vonda N. McIntyre's 1978 novel Dreamsnake did exactly that, becoming one of the most acclaimed science fiction books of the late 1970s. This episode explores what made this feminist post-apocalyptic

#141 A horrorshow cure: A Clockwork Orange (1962) by Anthony Burgess

Jan 23 2025 9 mins  
"When a man cannot choose, he ceases to be a man."Stanley Kubrick's film A Clockwork Orange was as controversial as it was profitable. Its depiction of a dystopian near future terrorised by ultraviolent teenage gangs made a startling impact on release in 1971. The film was an adaptation of a book that was nearly a decade old. This episode explores Anthony Burgess' 1962 book A Clock

#140 Plucked from the past: Picnic on Paradise (1968) by Joanna Russ

Jan 16 2025 6 mins  
A feminist subversion of SF adventure on a snowbound world.Joanna Russ was an American writer of science fiction and fantasy best known for her strident feminist perspective. Her most acclaimed book is The Female Man from 1975, in which several women - each from their own parallel universes - confront misogyny and patriarchy.In Picnic on Paradise (1968), Russ' debut novel, a thief

#139 In the days of their strength: Pavane (1968) by Keith Roberts

Jan 09 2025 8 mins  
Exploring a unique alternate history and a classic of British SF.It is the late 20th century - but not as we know it. There is no electricity, let alone nuclear energy. Steam-powered road trains are the fastest means of transport. And England is run not from London, but from Rome. This is the world of Pavane, a unique alternate history by Keith Roberts, published in 1968.Get in tou

#138 Death is no obstacle: The Ophiuchi Hotline (1977) by John Varley

Jan 03 2025 8 mins  
Hundreds of years from now, there is not a single human being on Earth. The species has been exiled to the moon, Mars, and other worlds of the solar system. A powerful alien race has reserved the planet we think of as "ours", and given it over to the real intelligent life: dolphins and whales. Fortunately, humankind has mysterious friends in high places, who offer powerful technolo

#137 The Ten Best SF(F) Books I Read in 2024

Dec 19 2024 17 mins  
With another year drawing to a close, it's time to assess the ten best novels I read in 2024: all of them featured on the show at some point. Which books will make the cut? Also: my biggest reading disappointment of the year, some honourable mentions, and looking ahead to plans for 2025.Get in touch with a text message!For more classic SF reviews and discussion, visit andyjohnson.x

#136 Hell freezes over: Ice (1967) by Anna Kavan

Dec 13 2024 7 mins  
Dramatic climate breakdown is causing extremes of weather never seen before, and contributing to a succession of convulsive wars, with no end in sight. This isn't the 21st century - it's a unique entry in the tradition of the British catastrophe novel. Ice was written by Anna Kavan and published in 1967. It was the last novel by a uniquely talented, and uniquely troubled author. Si

#135 Take these broken wings: Windhaven (1981) by George R. R. Martin and Lisa Tuttle

Dec 03 2024 6 mins  
On the constantly stormy planet of Windhaven, elite messengers take to the skies using flying rigs made from the remnants of an ancient starship. But who deserves to wear the wings?George R. R. Martin is one of the world's best-selling novelists, and Lisa Tuttle is a multi-award winning author and a regular critic of new SF and fantasy work. Back in the 1970s, they collaborated on

#134 Out of body experience: The Palace of Eternity (1969) by Bob Shaw

Nov 21 2024 5 mins  
This is a neccesarily brief episode - because there is much in this book that must not be spoiled. The Palace of Eternity is an excellent 1969 novel by the Northern Irish writer Bob Shaw. It is a fast-paced, dynamic piece of work, full of surprising developments and wild ideas. Welcome to a fast-moving tale that explores interstellar war, environmental destruction, and even the sou

#133 A century of screams: Breakfast in the Ruins (1972) by Michael Moorcock

Nov 14 2024 7 mins  
Breakfast in the Ruins is a sometimes harrowing experimental novel by Michael Moorcock. Originally published in 1972, the novel is a loose sequel of sorts to Moorcock's earlier novel Behold the Man - covered in episode 96. This time, protagonist Karl Glogauer is split into many different lives, in which he becomes entangled, and increasingly guilty of, some of history's worst atroc